Dirk Kurbjuweit takes over as editor-in-chief of SPIEGEL from Steffen Klusmann

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Dirk Kurbjuweit is the new editor-in-chief of SPIEGEL

Photo: Ole Witt

The SPIEGEL Group has appointed SPIEGEL author and former deputy editor-in-chief Dirk Kurbjuweit as editor-in-chief of SPIEGEL with immediate effect. Steffen Klusmann is leaving the editor-in-chief of SPIEGEL by mutual agreement following the implementation of far-reaching reforms in recent years.

"We owe Steffen Klusmann a great debt of gratitude for his groundbreaking work over the past almost five years, above all for merging the print and online editorial teams and the successes in our digital subscription strategy," says Managing Director Thomas Hass. "With his instinct as a newspaper editor and many journalistic successes, he has secured the trust of his readers in challenging news times. We could not have imagined a better one in recent years and very much regret that in the end it was not possible to continue our always very good cooperation for the future. We wish Steffen all the best.«

Steffen Klusmann: "It has been a great honor for me to have worked for the SPIEGEL editorial team over the past almost five years. We have achieved a great deal together. Recently, however, management and I have all too often failed to reach agreement on crucial strategic issues – which has now resulted in my departure. I wish the editorial team a lot of courage and skill in the coming years, they bring the necessary competence and passion with them anyway.«

For the successor in the editor-in-chief, it was important for the shareholders and management to be able to drive forward ongoing reform projects with reliable stability and to intensify the strategic prioritization of SPIEGEL+. » As an outstanding publicist, Dirk Kurbjuweit has it all. For many years, we have found him to be a pugnacious, assertive colleague, and he will provide the right impetus for SPIEGEL journalism on the Internet as well as in the magazine," says Managing Director Thomas Hass. Co-Managing Director Stefan Ottlitz: "Dirk Kurbjuweit has a clear picture of how our journalism can be further developed in both digital and print between speed and depth, and he has shown how to sharpen the profile of SPIEGEL, both as an author and in management positions. Further brand profiling is particularly important in our pay strategy, and its success is essential for our journalistic and economic independence.«

Dirk Kurbjuweit: "I am pleased and honoured by the trust placed in me in my work and my person. In recent years, a great foundation has been created to secure a lasting digital future for SPIEGEL and also to make the magazine even better. Especially in these turbulent times, SPIEGEL's claim must be to deliver the best possible journalistic quality on the Internet every day and at newsstands every week, thus living up to the trust of our readers. I will take up the ongoing renewal processes of the editor-in-chief and develop them further in intensive discussions with my colleagues.«

The SPIEGEL editor-in-chief also includes Thorsten Dörting (48), who is responsible for digital developments, Melanie Amann (45), head of politics, and Clemens Höges (61), a newspaper editor with a print focus.

Steffen Klusmann (57) has been editor-in-chief of SPIEGEL since January 2019, having previously held the same position at manager magazin, which belongs to the SPIEGEL Group. Prior to that, he was, among other things, editor-in-chief of the »Financial Times Deutschland«, the Gruner+Jahr business media and deputy editor-in-chief of »Stern«.

Dirk Kurbjuweit (60) was deputy editor-in-chief of SPIEGEL from February 24 to December 2015 in 2018 years and has been a writer in the capital office ever since. In addition to his work at SPIEGEL, he has also written more than ten books as an author and writer. As a journalist, he has repeatedly received awards, including the Egon Erwin Kisch Prize and the German Reporter Prize.